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14.10: Vocabulary

  • Page ID
    18884
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    void method:
    A method that does not return a value.
    value method:
    A method that returns a value.
    return type:
    The type of value a method returns.
    return value:
    The value provided as the result of a method invocation.
    temporary variable:
    A short-lived variable, often used for debugging.
    dead code:
    Part of a program that can never be executed, often because it appears after a return statement.
    incremental development:
    A process for creating programs by writing a few lines at a time, compiling, and testing.
    stub:
    A placeholder for an incomplete method so that the class will compile.
    scaffolding:
    Code that is used during program development but is not part of the final version.
    functional decomposition:
    A process for breaking down a complex computation into simple methods, then composing the methods to perform the computation.
    overload:
    To define more than one method with the same name but different parameters.
    tag:
    A label that begins with an at sign (@) and is used by Javadoc to organize documentation into sections.
    Turing complete:
    A programming language that can implement any theoretically possible algorithm.
    factorial:
    The product of all the integers up to and including a given integer.
    leap of faith:
    A way to read recursive programs by assuming that the recursive call works, rather than following the flow of execution.

    This page titled 14.10: Vocabulary is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Allen B. Downey (Green Tea Press) .

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